The book of Ephesians has been so close to my heart these days. I can’t stop talking about it and meditating on truth after truth as I see it in my daily life. Today I wanted to share some thoughts I have on Paul’s first prayer found in chapter 1. To give a little context, the first part of chapter 1 is all about our identity in Christ. Paul spends several verses unpacking different parts of our identity. I wrote about this back in February, you can read it here. Before Paul gets to this prayer, he set the foundation of reminding us of who we are in Christ. How to define who we are. Verse 14 ends the section on our identity with the purpose of our identity: to give God glory. Paul wanted us to know that Jesus has redefined who we are so that we could glorify God with our lives.
Then Paul records a prayer for the church in Ephesus, and us today. Paul wrote out the prayer he was praying for the church. He praised God for what he was seeing in the church and then asked God for two specific things for them. Let’s unpack this a little together.
Paul praised God for what he was seeing in the church: their love for God and their love for people. Verses 15 and 16 say that Paul heard about the faith of the church and their love for all of God’s people. They loved each other and word was spreading about it. If this sounds familiar to you, you might be thinking of Matthew 22. In verses 37-40 Jesus says that the two greatest commandments were to love God and love people. Paul is repeating these principles and also showing us that the church in Ephesus was living out their love so loudly that word was spreading. What a reputation to have! We aren’t always in charge of our reputation and that’s a whole different topic for discussion. For now, if we could craft our own reputation, this is what it would be.
Next Paul asks God for two things. He asks for wisdom and revelation to know God more and he asks for their eyes to be enlightened. First, he asks for wisdom and revelation to know God more. The more we know about God the more we love him and the more we love him the more passionately we serve him. We should be learning more and more about God. We can learn through experiences, through Bible Study, through revelation from God, even through secular things. God is not limited in the way He can teach us about himself, we just need to pay attention. Second, he asks God that they would be aware. Aware of what? Aware of hope, inheritance, and power. Paul explains that we can have hope if we discern and see clearly what Jesus has called you to. We have hope because we have purpose. In ever season and life stage, every single day of our lives is saturated with kingdom purpose. Even in a season of waiting and being patient as God moves, there is purpose and that gives us hope. Paul prays that God would remind us of our inheritance, to seep the truth of our inheritance deep into our souls. That we would remember and live by the truth that we have a position in God’s kingdom and God’s family. We not only have crossed the line of faith and had our sins forever paid for, we also have been given a future home and eternal inheritance through Jesus. The riches of this inheritance should leave us awed and encouraged, knowing we are safe. Finally, be aware of power. The power that raised Jesus from the dead. That we literally have access to. Each and every day. Incomparably great power. When was the last time we accessed the same power that raised Jesus from the dead? When was the last time we prayed and asked God for power to his glory and the good of others?
I have been meditating on these verses and am continually encouraged and challenged. Encouraged that I am so safe and loved and abounding in gifts from the Father. Challenged to live like I believe these truths, believe that God is telling the truth. Below you’ll see free wallpapers you can download and use on your phone or computer. Let’s live in hope and gratitude for what we have been giving by the Father, through the sacrifice of the Son, and secured by the Spirit.
Download phone wallpaper here.
Download computer wallpaper here.
Recording Prayers
Try it out! Recently I have been trying to replace the phrase “I’ll be praying for you” with an actual prayer. I have just started praying with people when I’m talking to them rather than saying I would and it is because of Paul’s prayers in Ephesians. It is so encouraging to read prayers in scripture and I wanted to share that encouragement. I have sent prayers in emails and texts, and also in person. I’d encourage you to replace your own version of “I’ll be praying for you” with a prayer of your own, right there and then. I’ve seen so much fruit in my own relationships and I’d love for you to as well.It also keeps me from lying by forgetting to pray for it later on. It’s a win win in my book!
As always, I’d love to hear from you. How I can be praying for you this week, your thoughts on stepping forward without pressure, shame, or expectation on yourself. Any questions you have regarding coaching or speaking, send me a message and let me know!
Abigail Denton 